Rock My Room 2017 {Week Two}

What a difference a week makes eh?! As you may remember last week’s instalment of the Rock My Room bathroom DIY challenge featured our tile choices and the odd bit of initial plumbing. During week two it was all about tiling and woodwork.

The two updates didn’t take too much of my own time since Ste and I were forced to outsource these jobs to professionals due to time constraints and availability. Ste has been working away a lot, and between Rock My Limited and Hector it doesn’t leave me with much time for this type of labour intensive DIY. I’m a bit gutted as I would have loved to have completed some of the grouting and laying myself. But both activities have made a big impact which has changed the look and feel of the rooms completely, photos of which I’ve added in a gallery below as I don’t think you can get the full impact in a post header.

Bathroom

We had a minor wobble with the tiling of this room; it wasn’t so much the tiles themselves as the colour of the grouting, we (actually it was me!) chose. Ste still isn’t happy if I’m honest which proves that things definitely do not always go to plan especially when you’re up against it for a DIY challenge on an interiors blog. Ste had visions of this room being very light, bright and airy contrasted by a charcoal grey radiator and matte black taps. Somehow I got talked into choosing a light grey grout by our tiler – he assured me that it would be more off-white than grey – and the result is that now our Limestone tiles seem really quite yellowy compared to before. It’s too much effort/time/money to try to rectify the situation now so it’s all about living with it and hoping that a lick of paint and the insertion of the bath into the space will radically change the aesthetic. Here’s hoping anyway.

In the meantime I’ve had to send back the matte black taps we ordered and exchange them for their chrome counterparts as well as dealing with a boy who is very sulky indeed. Who knew a man could be so pernickety about his bathroom.

Tile Splashback & Double BasinAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Nimbus Limestone TilesAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Doors in placeAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Toilet CisternAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Shower Room

The shower room by contrast is a a success story. We’re both incredibly happy with the colour scheme we opted for…all the greys…and weirdly the room feels bigger than it did before we added tiles into the mix.

We opted for Topps Tiles ‘Dorsaf Tumbled Grey‘ tiles on the floor, skirting and splash back behind the basin. For the shower enclosure we chose marble mosaic tiles; initially I considered opting for larger mosaic or even large marble veined tiles as per the inspiration in last weeks post. But we finally settled on the design we have now and I’m really pleased with it. And they aren’t sparkly by the way…I think it’s just the way that the camera has caught the light.

The doors and architrave have also been added and need handles fitting and priming before we get the paintbrushes out.

WoodworkAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Shower Room ProgressAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Lemon Marble Mosaic Polished TilesAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Dorsaf Tumbled Grey TilesAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Basin SplashbackAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

Shower CubicalAn update on Rock My Room 2017. Lolly shares the progress made in the second week of this DIY challenge to transform two rooms into functioning bathrooms.

What Next?

There’s still so much to do! This coming week will see the return of the plumbers to fit the bath, toilets, shower screen, all the taps and any other fixtures and fittings. We also need to decide on the colour of the paint for both rooms and the woodwork and book in the electrician to come back and complete the second fix. And hopefully then we’ll be onto my favourite part of the interior decorating process…the accessories. I can’t wait!

I’ll be back next week to talk you through how we’re progressing through our checklist but in the meantime please do join in and share your progress as really helps to keep up the motivation levels. I have loved seeing all the #RockMyRoom2017 updates via Instagram so please continue to share your snaps. Until next week then…

Really Stacey? That’s so interesting to hear actually. We had black worktops in our previous house and they were a nightmare to keep clean. A few flecks of water and it looked filthy again so I swore to Ste we’d never do it again. I hadn’t considered that the taps would be the same – sounds like I’ve had a lucky escape!

Looks amazing! Very jealous of the mosaic tiles in the shower – I was really tempted to do something similar when we had some work done last year, but was scared of the cost so went for marble subway tiles in the end (which I am love, but it doesn’t stop me lusting after mosaics!).

I also think the grey grout looks great – and think how much easier it will be to clean!

We toyed with a more rectangular marble shape actually Pips and it was a very close toss up between the two before deciding on this actual design. I’d be very tempted to go down the subway tile route in our next house though! And as for the grey grout and keeping it clean…you’re on my wavelength 😉

I see what you mean with the grey grout, but I think when you get all the white bits in there it will add some nice depth….also the grout does dull down (a bit). We got talked into a similar thing by our tiler, why do they hate white grout so much?!?
It’s looking so beaut though – coveting that shower room!!

That’s what I keep telling myself Becs….we have a large bath going in which will actually cover up quite a bit of the tiling and thus lighten things up again. And the grout has dried out a bit…and has faded whilst doing so. Do I sound like I’m making all the excuses?! Thanks for your lovely comments xxx

Wow I cant believe how much progress you are making! Good work!
We are also in the process of ripping out and replacing our bathroom – I was all set to join RockMyRoom2017 however progress is slow…very slow so I think 4 weeks is a little too ambitious for us.
I agree with other comments the grey grout looks great – we have pale grout in our kitchen and I wish it was a darker – it marks so easy and looks grubby despite only being down a year.

That’s reassuring to hear Carly….although not so great for you on the pale grout front. Four weeks has been ambitious but I’ve needed this challenge to actually force Ste and I to get things moving and finish a couple of rooms. He goes skiing this week so I’ll be managing the whole project solely on my own for the next seven days which is going to be tricky with a full-time job and a toddler on my hands. Who needs sleep anyway!

What a transformation from last week! I see what you mean with the tiles but not sure if it’s more the contrast with the white wall which makes them seem quite warm in colour or the grout. It still looks great though and might just make it more interesting once you get everything else in. We’ve not had all that much progress compared to you so you’re doing brilliantly, can’t wait to see how you accessorize the space.

Kat I have already been on a bit of a purchasing mission this morning! I can’t wait to share what I’ve bought with everyone although I also know that this means that Ste will actually have a much more realistic idea of how much I’ve spent ?
I’m also on my fifth round of tester pots to find the perfect colour for the walls in the bathroom but yet to land on a shade which I feel is the one! Like you say everything just feels a bit warm….

I know exactly how you feel about the wrong colour of grout, but you’ve made the right decision (in my opinion!) not trying not to change it. We tiled our kitchen backsplash and used what was supposed to be a medium grey grout. When it dries it was very pale, and looked baby blue in some lights. I was prepared to live with it but my husband wouldn’t hear of it. So he spent a month painstakingly removing the grout with a dremel every evening. The time it took and the dust was immense, but we now have the right colour grout and my other half claims he can “be in the kitchen now!!”. It’s one of the few things that he really stamped his feet over in the entire renovation! Good luck!

Lolly the hours you will now NOT spend with a toothbrush and bleach cleaning the white grout over the years are definitely worth a few mantrums! Needless to say, both rooms look great. I love the sink and splash back in the limestone bathroom in particular.

Our tiles are being delivered tomorrow, but thanks so plumber dentistry woes (poor bloke had a tooth knocked out playing sport) we won’t be ready to plaster, and therefore tile, until next week! Progress as a result feels really, really slow on “the Room”. But as I shared on IG progress on the barn is whizzing along with the roof steels in and felt and battening taking place this week… so swings and roundabouts.

Mantrums ?
Lucy your comment made me laugh this morning but I totally emphasise and feel your pain re progress. One minute it feels like you’re whizzing along and then the next it’s almost as if you’re at a standstill. We had the footings put in for the garage (the last bit of building) on Friday and already I want the drainage sorted and the brickwork up but Ste is going skiing so I’m already fretting about the delay. I hope your plumber is on the mend and ready to go when it comes to next week to allow you to catch up. Are you overdue yet on the baby front?

I’m sure he’ll be sending me multiple pictures of sunny skies and perfect blue slopes and will probably come back with a bit of a tan to boot! So jealous…in fact it is a bit of a Rock My Slopes special…Ste is actually going with some of the other halves from RMLtd! They get to play whilst we work…not sure how that happened.

We have similar tiles to you in our (inherited) bathroom and we have white grout and I am desperate to change it! I’m sure it looked wonderful when it was first done and I love the all white look but now it’s just marked and grubby and no matter how much I painstakingly scrub it, it never looks pristine. Like Lucy said above, the hours spent with a toothbrush and bleach is not worth it. We’ll be joining the grey grout club soon. Also *mantrums* just brilliant. I am so stealing this!! xx

I always enjoy watching other people do their houses up, this looks lovely so far and I’m going to go team neutral and say either grout would/does look lovely ?

I’d love to join you on the 4 week challenge, but as you can tell from the following, things never quite seem to work like that in our house… the sockets our washer and dryer plug in to stopped working, called in a spark who said utility was wired all wrong when it was created, so we got him to do a full house report as thought best to get all work done at same time if he had to be here anyway, today he started three days work including new consumer unit and hacking half our kitchen out to fit new sockets outside etc, so then we thought we might as well get new worktops and tiles, then redecorate, but won’t the floor need replacing BEFORE painting the skirting? Then if the decorators are already doing the landing/stairs/kitchen diner (all one room really) they might as well do the little hallway and lounge next door while they’re at it, no? But we were going to get a log burner installed in the lounge in a year or two so wouldn’t we have to do that before it was decorated?

Upshot conversation yesterday was ‘Oh sod it, let’s just do the lot this year and spend next year paying it off’ ??? So a broken socket has lead to a re-done kitchen and new lounge and new decorating everywhere! Not that I’m complaining, and at least the electrics will be safe, haha! The world of home improvements!

Hurrah for broken sockets Faye. It sounds like a big project but one that you’ve taken into your stride and which will all be lovely for the summer! Sounds fantastic. I certainly will keep you posted with more pictures. Hopefully lots more to see next week!

Lolly, it looks great! And I’m so impressed by the progress you’re making. We’re planning on redoing our bathroom so I was eagerly awaiting your post! I think we’re going to go with the Topps Tiles Regal Vanilla Matt tile for our floor and I thought of going with the same colour grouting so it’s ‘invisible’ but I hadn’t considered the dirt issue so the comments have been useful! Did you install underfloor heating? I got a sample tile yesterday and it’s freezing under foot compared to the old lino in our bathroom at the moment! Decisions decisions…

I think the ‘invisible grouting’ look was certainly the aesthetic that Ste was hoping to emulate Jo so he was a bit disappointed when it didn’t quite turn out that way. That said, from all of the comments above it seems like this has worked out in our favour so definitely something to bear in mind.

Re underfloor heating we ummed and ahhed about this for ages but decided not to do it in the end (cue raised eyebrows from our tiler). Given that the rooms aren’t huge and that half of both of the rooms are covered by shower tray/bath and that the radiators in both rooms will chuck out the heat we decided to risk it and not install it. Whether this is a good idea will only be revealed further down the line. I think if the bathrooms were larger than we would have opted for it. Hope that helps….

It does help thank you, we’re new to all this! Our bathroom is v tiny so we might benefit from removing our heated towel rail and going for underfloor heating instead (except we wouldn’t have anywhere to dry our wet towels – chuck them on the floor?!).

I can’t wait to see your update next week! I hope it goes well with you flying solo. I love your sinks and taps, it’s all going to look fab!

It’s looking great Lolly – just before Rock My Room 2017 started we completed a bathroom and toilet room renovation with a very similar colour scheme to your *all the greys* shower room and it looks fantastic (if I do say so myself)…